Many people suffer from spinal and lumbar back problems which should be responsive to exercise or physical therapy. Devices have been developed which are claimed to be of value in dealing with such problems, but such devices have suffered from a number of shortcomings.
1. These devices are frequently large and bulky and can be used conveniently only in a clinical or exercise center environment. They are not readily portable and do not lend themselves to use in a home or outpatient setting.
2. Such devices do not provide for unloading of the spine other than by active traction. Such active traction devices are difficult for a patient to use; frequently the assistance of one other person is required to enable a patient to be properly placed in and use the traction device.
3. Most importantly, such devices normally dictate the force to be applied to the patient, rather than allowing the patient to control the force. While such devices usually permit different force settings (often in incremental steps, as by changing the number of weights attached to the traction device), once the particular load is set the patient cannot vary that load and the resultant force during the exercise or therapy session. This presents a serious problem for many patients, in that exercise under a constant force causes severe pain. Typically such a patient suffers immobility in the spine and lumbar back region and must begin any exercise or therapy session slowly and under very little load. As the session continues and the patient's spine and lumbar back begin to loosen, the patient should be able to increase the load and force without reaching an uncomfortable pain level. If pain increases during the session the patient should be able to reduce the load and force to control the pain level. These changes may of course be repeated many times during an exercise or therapy session.
At the present time no exercise or therapy devices permit a patient to be "in the loop" with respect to such control and regulation of spine and lumbar back exercise and therapy. At best the user can only stop the device and manually reset the load or direct a therapist or attendant to do so. Frequent or repeated changes are difficult and inconvenient to accomplish.
4. Such devices often put excessive stress on one or more other parts of the body while attempting to provide relief to the spine and lower back. A common and very simple exercise is where the person stands between two horizontal hand supports placed at about waist height (such as parallel bars or the backs of chairs) and then pushes up on the supports until his arms are straight and his body is lifted off the ground. While this allows the spine to become unloaded, it puts excessive stress on the user's hands and wrists and the position cannot be maintained for more than a few seconds, nor can it be performed for more than a few repetitions before the person's hands and wrists become unduly fatigued.
It would be of considerable value to have an exercise device which is a simple structure allowing for unloading of the user's spine and lumbar back region for prolonged periods, which is readily portable and usable in a variety of settings including the home environment, which does not require the presence of attendants to assist the user and which, most importantly, is under the immediate and continuous control of the user.